I met the neighbors down the mountain a bit while they were on their way up for Mass. That they went to Mass here was due to some logistical impossibilities. Very happy to have them. As you can see, Laudie is having a good time of it. Having lost her fear of heights, she is now leaving the ground in flight mode, jumping while flopping her ears as fast as she can.
Just below we see both the neighbors with their Charlie-dog. Laudie-dog couldn’t make it into the picture, since she was somewhere in the tree-tops, still in flight mode. I’ll have to remember to warn Laudie about the low-flying fighter jets and the attack helicopters of the Army and Marines, though maybe she’s registered with them for some practice time in this military training air-space. Laudie, the new special weapon of the Department of Defense!
The chicken, going on six years old, are in better shape than I thought. As you can see, they finally finished molting, and have put out a full package of feathers. With that energy now not knowing what to do with itself, they’ve decided to take over new territory, Laudie-dog’s doghouse.
Laudie-dog takes all this in stride. She gets along with the chickens really well. In fact, I had seen the renegade chicken (still recooperating after her return in another coop just for her) while she was getting set to disappear some days ago, basking in a patch of sun about 150 yards away down the mountain with Laudie-dog right next to her, also calmly basking in the sun.
Anyway, there were eventually two chickens setting with the rooster watching over them inside the doghouse (chickenhouse).
During Mass, these chickens made such an incredible racket. I haven’t heard anything like it for many months. They haven’t laid any eggs for months. Just the renegade chicken. But this is what was to be seen:
Amazing. On thanksgiving. I might have to rethink butchering these chickens. I don’t know quite what to do. Someone just might be ready to donate some pullets that have just started to lay. But I’ve grown attached to these. What to do? What to do?
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
Perhaps you could just keep your chickens as pets, Father. I’m sure they would be happy about it, and you might enjoy just having them around for no real practical reason. Chickens can be very sweet animal companions.
I hope you won’t run out of eggs to eat, Father.
No eggs since then!
But the heavenly banquet is coming.